Cream and Strawberries in the Thyme, a Joy for the Palate

One of the secrets of the cream and strawberries verrine recipe lies in the sponge cake. A particular sponge cake, which has little to do with the classic sponge cake. Firstly, because it does not contain soft wheat flour, but hemp flour and rice starch. This gives it an excellent taste and vaguely exotic hints.

Secondly, it is a sponge cake that can be eaten by everyone, even by those suffering from celiac disease. In fact, being made with rice and hemp by-products, it does not contain gluten.

To enrich the recipe of the cream and strawberry wart there is the strawberry compote. It is an ingredient, or better to say, a delicious preparation, which despite having a lot in common with jam, actually offers a more balanced and pleasant flavour.

Strawberry compote, like that made with any other fruit, can be eaten on its own or can enhance creamy and non-creamy desserts, just like it happens with this particular verrine.

The verrine of cream and thyme strawberries with hemp sponge cake is a dessert particularly suitable for the summer months. It is a real joy for the palate and for the eyes. In fact, it offers a complex and delicate symphony of flavours, in which all the ingredients contribute in a balanced way to the final result.

It is also a very nice dessert to look at, just like all desserts should be, which will not fail to make you look good when you receive relatives or friends.

Ingredients for the sponge cake:

• 200 g whole eggs
• 80 g of brown cane sugar
• 40 g of agave syrup
• 60 g of rice starch
• 50 g of hemp seed flour

for the strawberry and thyme compote:

• 500 g of fresh strawberries
• 50 g of brown cane sugar
• Grated lime to taste
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme

for the vanilla chantilly cream:

• 500 g of lactose-free cream
• 50 g of agave syrup
• Vanilla powder to taste

Prepare the sponge cake by whipping sugar and egg whites with a blender at medium speed, gradually adding the other ingredients. Once the mixture has acquired the right consistency, bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the strawberry and thyme compote: cook the strawberries cut into uniform pieces and the agave syrup in a low heat pan. After 4-5 minutes turn off the heat and leave the thyme to infuse for another 4-5 minutes. Finally, grate the lime zest.

Now take care of the chantilly cream: simply mix the cream, sugar and vanilla in a container. Whisk as usual until you have obtained a solid and voluminous compound. Finally, whip the dessert: make 8 disks from the sponge cake of the same diameter as the glass and 1 cm thick. Place the first disk on the bottom of the glass, add a layer of compote and one of chantilly cream. Repeat the process and decorate with fresh strawberries and thyme leaves.

Always check that the ingredients you use for the preparation of your recipes are suitable for coeliacs and people sensitive to gluten. Check the barred ear, the presence on the Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS), or the indications on the manufacturer's label.

From the ministerial note: The word "delactosate" has been eliminated, as previously associated with the word "dietetic". The term lactose-free may be used instead for dairy products and for milk with a lactose content of less than 0.1 g per 100 g or ml.